Foot Fungus Cured With Socks

A friend writes:

I remember reading on your blog about more socks as a cure for Athlete’s Foot and I had a fungal infection on my foot from climbing around barefoot outside, I think. I tried using two different antifungal creams. They didn’t work. To be honest I didn’t use them for the recommended time cuz it’s a huge fucking hassle. You have to put it on your feet, let it dry, rub it in blah blah blah. And it’s kinda gross to use. So I went to Uniqlo [a Japanese clothing store] and bought like 20 pairs of extra socks and forgot about it. But when I wash socks the washed ones get put in the back of the drawer so the effect is the socks I wear spend like 3-4 days away from my feet every time. Anyway, the infection COMPLETELY disappeared. There is a weird sense of satisfaction from this kind of cure. It feels like just by doing some small things ‘right’ all these health issues can be fixed.

I had foot fungus for years, I too tried antifungal creams without success, and the problem cleared up within days when I bought a lot more socks. It has remained cleared-up. You could call it the staging-area problem: Our things act as staging areas for harmful bugs. Another example is getting an eye infection from pillowcases.

15 Replies to “Foot Fungus Cured With Socks”

“An extreme example is that Eskimos started dying of poison from fermented fish after they began using plastic containers. Which is why I use glass jars to make kombucha. ”

Can you explain this? I assume you are talking about the problem of creating botulism while fermenting the fish. This does not have anything to do with the material of the container, but whether the container is airtight (plastic) or not airtight (the ground). Plastic versus glass would not make a difference.

I had the same problem. When I switched to socks that were cotton instead of polyester/nylon the problem went away. After that I changed my underwear to cotton and had some nice results there too. Natural cellulosic fibre materials are better to put up against your skin than cheap synthetics.

@Jeff, I can’t really speak to the fermenting of fish and how various types of containers affect their poison content. However, I am a brewer, so I can speak to your statement about plastic being airtight, which is incorrect. Many types of plastic containers are actually porous and will let the things inside them breath. This is why homebrew beer is only fermented in glass carboys, or very specialized plastic containers (PET3, I think, but I only use glass so I’m not really sure).

So, with that out of the way, back to my foot fungus…
More socks? Really? I have a pretty good amount of socks now, and I never wear an unwashed pair. Any idea how this actually is affecting the fungus? What is the ‘cure’? Is it the fact that it takes longer to recycle a pair back onto the feet? Perhaps some fungus stays in the sock after washing but dies if it doesn’t come into contact with the host for a certain period of time?

Seth, a very sure fire way to ride yourself of tenia pedis (latin for foot funk) is something almost no-one knows about, but I repeat, it’s a sure fire way to remove it.
Garlic!!! Take a two cloves of garlic through a garlic press, and massage the ‘mush’ into the effected area for at least 5 minutes. It sometimes requires 2 applications (the next day), but it works.
I had the worst kind the funk for a long time, and I am no completely free of it for over 2 years now. Before it would stir itself back up every other month. NO MORE!!!

I’ve been pretty lucky never to have had athlete’s food. If I had it I think I would try raw garlic, olive oil infused with raw garlic, yogurt, or a solution of boric acid. I already have a lot of socks so I can last longer between doing laundry.

Okay, first off, your symptoms may have vanished, but the fungus is still there. I hate to break the bad news, but, like herpes, tinea pedis is forever. Once you have it, you will always have it. There is no cure, no matter what anyone says.

But, with proper care, your outbreaks will become less frequent and milder. I contacted tinea pedis in my late teens. After the first few years, it’s basically disappeared, because I learned the right way to take care of my condition. (I’m over fifty, now.) What you need to do is wear breathable, cotton un-dyed socks. White over-the-calf tube socks work great for me. Wear shoes as little as possible, and try to have at least two pair of shoes, to trade off each day. Let those smelly suckers dry out and breathe.

When you get an outbreak, the best treatment is called a Burrow’s solution. You can get Burrow”s powder from your pharmacy. Mix it according to the instructions, and apply cold (I mean ice-cold) compresses, soaked in the solution and worn for as long as you can stand it, several times per day. The cold will cut the inflammation, and the Burrow’s solution will dry the pustules.

Fungus thrive on warm, damp and dark places, like your feet in shoes. UV light from sunlight will help to kill many of them, and keeping your feet cool and dry will do more for your unpleasant condition than will any “home remedy.” It goes without saying that a good diet and lessening stress will also help out your problem.

Sounds similar to something I did. For years I had bad acne on my face, that just wouldn’t disappear no matter what prescription medication I tried. Suddenly, it went away. What did I do? I just washed my face in the middle of the day when it felt oily, with nothing but plain water, and maybe a drop of soap.